Lewis B. Smedes, the author of Forgive and Forget, once wrote, “To forgive is to set a prisoner free and discover that the prisoner was you.” Award-winning author Sherman Alexie powerfully demonstrates this through Junior, the main character of The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian. At only 14- years -old, Junior already struggles with many hardships. He was born on an Indian reservation with a neurological disorder called hydrocephalus, which affects his speech and results in him having an abnormally large head. Because of this, he gets bullied often, which ironically makes him a naturally forgiving person. Even though he doesn’t hold it against them, he realizes that the people on the reservation are killing his hope: they are stuck in a cycle of revenge. Junior’s forgiveness sets him free from this cycle. It gives him hope, displaying the theme that forgiveness helps people move forward and make room for their ambitions multiple times in the book: Junior’s dilemma with Roger, his grandma’s death, and his friendship with Rowdy.
When Junior first transfers schools, he thinks that everyone wants revenge. After all, that’s what he was taught on the rez. However, after he tries to fight Roger for making a racist comment, he realizes that this isn’t always the case. In the chapter “How to Fight Monsters,” Junior writes a list of unspoken rules everyone must obey on the Spokane Indian reservation: “1. If somebody insults you, then you have to fight him. 2. If you think somebody is going to insult you, then you have to fight him. 3. If you think somebody is thinking about insulting you, then you have to fight him…9. You must always pick fights with the sons and/or daughters of any white people who live anywhere on the reservation…” (Alexie 61-62). According to these rules, Junior was supposed to start a fight, so that’s what he did. However, Roger didn’t react in the way he was “supposed to.” In fact, Roger was genuinely confused, indicating that revenge and violence aren’t as prominent in Reardan as they are on the reservation. In Reardan, when people realize they are being offensive, they respect each other and move on. Bewildered by this, Junior has a conversation with Grandma. In the chapter “Grandmother Gives Me Some Advice,” Junior’s grandma explains, “You see, you men and boys are like packs of wild dogs. This giant boy is the alpha male of the school, and you’re the new dog, so he pushed you around a bit to see how tough you are…You punched the alpha dog in the face” (Alexie 68). Using metaphors, Grandma clarifies why Roger responded the way he did. Roger is the “alpha dog,” and since Junior stood up for himself, the whole pack respects him. Though Junior doesn’t believe it initially, her point is proved the next school day. Instead of trying to get revenge on Junior, Roger becomes friendly acquaintances with him. After Junior’s tension with Roger relaxes, Junior starts making friends and is finally somewhat at peace in his new school, showing that retaliation isn’t always the best solution.
Additionally, when a prominent figure in Junior’s life passes away, the theme intensifies. In the chapter “Red vs. White,” Junior talks about his struggles living in between the two contrasting worlds of Wellpinit and Reardan. However, his grandmother teaches him the valuable gift of tolerance: “Indians can be just as judgemental and hateful as any white person. But not my grandmother…She approached each new person and each new experience the exact same way” (Alexie 153). Junior’s grandma loved talking to anyone and everyone. When Junior transferred to Reardan, his grandma was the only one who unhesitatingly agreed. In her mind, meeting people was the purpose of life. If you judge a book by its cover, you may never see its true value or worth. Grandma’s tolerant mindset helped Junior through his most challenging times, including her death. On page 157, Junior reveals, “My grandmother’s last act on earth was a call for forgiveness, love, and tolerance…I think my dad wanted to go find Gerald and beat him to death. I think my mother would’ve helped him. I think I would’ve helped him, too. But my grandmother wanted us to forgive her murderer.” While Grandma is walking home from a mini powwow, she gets hit by a drunk driver named Gerald. Later, she dies during an emergency surgery, leaving Junior’s family in agony. His whole family wants vengeance on the driver who killed her, but Grandma’s last words were to “forgive him” (Alexie 157). Even in her death, she believed in love and tolerance. Respecting her wishes, Junior’s family decided to leave Gerald to serve his time in prison, preventing them from doing something they would regret. In the end, forgiveness, love, and tolerance were exactly what Grandma got. After everyone realizes Junior's pain, they finally stop treating him like a villain, demonstrating how tolerance brings peace.
Most directly, tolerance and love are expressed in Junior’s friendship with Rowdy. Once Junior tells Rowdy that transferring to Reardan is the best choice for him, Rowdy despises him, marking the beginning of their rivalry. In their first basketball game against each other, Rowdy gives Junior a concussion. In the rematch game between Wellpinit and Reardan, Junior desperately longs for revenge: “He was sad, man. Way sad. So guess what I did? I stuck my tongue out at him. Like I was Michael Jordan. I mocked him. And then, I took my three-pointer and buried it…We had defeated the champions! We were David who’d thrown a stone into the brain of Goliath'' (Alexie 193-195). At first, Junior is delighted by his team’s victory. They defeated “Goliath.” However, Junior soon realizes the perspective of Wellpinit’s team. Every person on his new team was wealthy and had the necessary resources to survive, but the Indians on his original team probably lived with drunken parents and had no food at home. He realized that Rowdy’s dad might beat him for losing the game. Wellpinit’s team wasn’t Goliath. Reardan’s was. The outcome of the game directly proved that instead of feeling fulfilled, revenge usually leaves people feeling guilty. Additionally, at the end of the book, Rowdy and Junior’s regained tolerance for one another strongly expresses the book’s theme. On page 229, Rowdy mentions how he “...always knew [Junior was] going to leave…[He] had this dream about [Junior] a few months ago. [Junior was] standing on the Great Wall of China. [He] looked happy. And [Rowdy] was happy for [him].” Although Rowdy didn’t want to change with Junior, Rowdy still became tolerant of Junior’s decisions. After all, his hate for Junior was only as strong as his love. Even though Rowdy was hurt, he forgave Junior, allowing Junior to stop focusing on their petty rivalry and start focusing on his hope for the future. Ultimately, Rowdy and Junior’s relationship illustrates the theme with two significant points: revenge and violence lead to regret, while tolerance and love lead to hope.
In essence, Junior’s experiences in The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian demonstrate a clear theme that tolerance makes room for hope and puts an end to cycles of violence. Unlike a lot of people on the Spokane Indian Reservation, Junior learned how to forgive, helping him make friends, live with the fact that his sister and grandmother died, and mend his relationship with Rowdy. Junior first transfers to Reardan with the mindset that everyone wants revenge, even if you do something as small as look at them incorrectly. After his situation with Roger, he realizes that the world isn’t all that black and white. A conversation with his grandmother makes him think more about tolerance and its value. This lesson from his grandma lives on even after she dies. Obviously, Junior isn’t perfect; sometimes, he does want revenge, but after realizing the perspective of other people, he regrets his way of thinking and learns from it. Like Junior, people can start forgiving others, not to set others free but to set themselves free. Perhaps we should all follow Mr. Smedes's advice: don’t be a prisoner in the cycle of revenge.
When Junior first transfers schools, he thinks that everyone wants revenge. After all, that’s what he was taught on the rez. However, after he tries to fight Roger for making a racist comment, he realizes that this isn’t always the case. In the chapter “How to Fight Monsters,” Junior writes a list of unspoken rules everyone must obey on the Spokane Indian reservation: “1. If somebody insults you, then you have to fight him. 2. If you think somebody is going to insult you, then you have to fight him. 3. If you think somebody is thinking about insulting you, then you have to fight him…9. You must always pick fights with the sons and/or daughters of any white people who live anywhere on the reservation…” (Alexie 61-62). According to these rules, Junior was supposed to start a fight, so that’s what he did. However, Roger didn’t react in the way he was “supposed to.” In fact, Roger was genuinely confused, indicating that revenge and violence aren’t as prominent in Reardan as they are on the reservation. In Reardan, when people realize they are being offensive, they respect each other and move on. Bewildered by this, Junior has a conversation with Grandma. In the chapter “Grandmother Gives Me Some Advice,” Junior’s grandma explains, “You see, you men and boys are like packs of wild dogs. This giant boy is the alpha male of the school, and you’re the new dog, so he pushed you around a bit to see how tough you are…You punched the alpha dog in the face” (Alexie 68). Using metaphors, Grandma clarifies why Roger responded the way he did. Roger is the “alpha dog,” and since Junior stood up for himself, the whole pack respects him. Though Junior doesn’t believe it initially, her point is proved the next school day. Instead of trying to get revenge on Junior, Roger becomes friendly acquaintances with him. After Junior’s tension with Roger relaxes, Junior starts making friends and is finally somewhat at peace in his new school, showing that retaliation isn’t always the best solution.
Additionally, when a prominent figure in Junior’s life passes away, the theme intensifies. In the chapter “Red vs. White,” Junior talks about his struggles living in between the two contrasting worlds of Wellpinit and Reardan. However, his grandmother teaches him the valuable gift of tolerance: “Indians can be just as judgemental and hateful as any white person. But not my grandmother…She approached each new person and each new experience the exact same way” (Alexie 153). Junior’s grandma loved talking to anyone and everyone. When Junior transferred to Reardan, his grandma was the only one who unhesitatingly agreed. In her mind, meeting people was the purpose of life. If you judge a book by its cover, you may never see its true value or worth. Grandma’s tolerant mindset helped Junior through his most challenging times, including her death. On page 157, Junior reveals, “My grandmother’s last act on earth was a call for forgiveness, love, and tolerance…I think my dad wanted to go find Gerald and beat him to death. I think my mother would’ve helped him. I think I would’ve helped him, too. But my grandmother wanted us to forgive her murderer.” While Grandma is walking home from a mini powwow, she gets hit by a drunk driver named Gerald. Later, she dies during an emergency surgery, leaving Junior’s family in agony. His whole family wants vengeance on the driver who killed her, but Grandma’s last words were to “forgive him” (Alexie 157). Even in her death, she believed in love and tolerance. Respecting her wishes, Junior’s family decided to leave Gerald to serve his time in prison, preventing them from doing something they would regret. In the end, forgiveness, love, and tolerance were exactly what Grandma got. After everyone realizes Junior's pain, they finally stop treating him like a villain, demonstrating how tolerance brings peace.
Most directly, tolerance and love are expressed in Junior’s friendship with Rowdy. Once Junior tells Rowdy that transferring to Reardan is the best choice for him, Rowdy despises him, marking the beginning of their rivalry. In their first basketball game against each other, Rowdy gives Junior a concussion. In the rematch game between Wellpinit and Reardan, Junior desperately longs for revenge: “He was sad, man. Way sad. So guess what I did? I stuck my tongue out at him. Like I was Michael Jordan. I mocked him. And then, I took my three-pointer and buried it…We had defeated the champions! We were David who’d thrown a stone into the brain of Goliath'' (Alexie 193-195). At first, Junior is delighted by his team’s victory. They defeated “Goliath.” However, Junior soon realizes the perspective of Wellpinit’s team. Every person on his new team was wealthy and had the necessary resources to survive, but the Indians on his original team probably lived with drunken parents and had no food at home. He realized that Rowdy’s dad might beat him for losing the game. Wellpinit’s team wasn’t Goliath. Reardan’s was. The outcome of the game directly proved that instead of feeling fulfilled, revenge usually leaves people feeling guilty. Additionally, at the end of the book, Rowdy and Junior’s regained tolerance for one another strongly expresses the book’s theme. On page 229, Rowdy mentions how he “...always knew [Junior was] going to leave…[He] had this dream about [Junior] a few months ago. [Junior was] standing on the Great Wall of China. [He] looked happy. And [Rowdy] was happy for [him].” Although Rowdy didn’t want to change with Junior, Rowdy still became tolerant of Junior’s decisions. After all, his hate for Junior was only as strong as his love. Even though Rowdy was hurt, he forgave Junior, allowing Junior to stop focusing on their petty rivalry and start focusing on his hope for the future. Ultimately, Rowdy and Junior’s relationship illustrates the theme with two significant points: revenge and violence lead to regret, while tolerance and love lead to hope.
In essence, Junior’s experiences in The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian demonstrate a clear theme that tolerance makes room for hope and puts an end to cycles of violence. Unlike a lot of people on the Spokane Indian Reservation, Junior learned how to forgive, helping him make friends, live with the fact that his sister and grandmother died, and mend his relationship with Rowdy. Junior first transfers to Reardan with the mindset that everyone wants revenge, even if you do something as small as look at them incorrectly. After his situation with Roger, he realizes that the world isn’t all that black and white. A conversation with his grandmother makes him think more about tolerance and its value. This lesson from his grandma lives on even after she dies. Obviously, Junior isn’t perfect; sometimes, he does want revenge, but after realizing the perspective of other people, he regrets his way of thinking and learns from it. Like Junior, people can start forgiving others, not to set others free but to set themselves free. Perhaps we should all follow Mr. Smedes's advice: don’t be a prisoner in the cycle of revenge.